Memeorandum

February 18, 2019

GA House Speaker David Ralston And The Silence of the Dogs

What's up down South? The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last week (Feb 13) on what looks (to my tired Yankee eyes) like an appalling abuse of power by the Republican Speaker of the House David Ralston:

Alleged victims say powerful Georgia lawmaker repeatedly delays cases

...

Yet more than four years after his indictment [on domestic violence, aggravated assault] Shell remains a free man, the charges against him stymied. A big reason: He paid a large retainer fee to hire an attorney who is also one of Georgia’s most powerful lawmakers, state Speaker of the House David Ralston.

Just as Ralston has done for other clients charged with violent or heinous crimes, he used his elected position to delay hearings and court dates, preventing the case from moving forward in the Gilmer County justice system.

“That’s why I gave him 20,000 bucks,” Shell told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He’s worth every penny of it.”

A joint investigation by the AJC and Channel 2 Action News found that Ralston appears to be misusing the power of his public office to benefit his private law practice. By doing no more than writing letters to judges declaring that court dates interfere with his lawmaking duties, he has been able to keep cases perpetually off the docket. But his tactics can thwart justice, harm crime victims and put the public at risk.

Under a state law dating back to 1905, judges and prosecutors must defer to the legislative schedule of any practicing attorney who serves in the General Assembly. Other attorney-lawmakers, though, are mainly relegated to claiming the exemption during the annual 40-day legislative sessions.

As House speaker, Ralston, who practices law in the rural, mountainous counties of North Georgia, can claim conflicts year-round. In 21 cases examined in four counties over a two-year period, he filed 57 requests for continuances.

This story seems to have it what it takes to generate a media storm, namely sympathetic (alleged) victims and a Republican evil-doer. But maybe the media can't rally without footage of Ralston in a MAGA hat (or blackface!). A Google News search on "David Ralston" returns articles by the AJC, Channel 2 Action News, and Fox News. I'll credit Erick Erickson with the Fox coverage, since he has been pounding the table on Twitter for more coverage.

So why the media silence? The AJC bloggers wondered about a related question today - why the muted response from Democrats?

***

Earlier this morning, we told you that House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, is facing criticism after an AJC investigation that found he frequently delayed criminal court cases by claiming the dates interfered with his legislative duties.

But as we have often said in this space, the dogs that don’t bark are sometimes just as important as the ones that do. What goes unsaid can be just as important as what’s said. This is the statement that arrived late Friday from the state Democratic party, via spokeswoman Maggie Chambers:

“These revelations show that Speaker Ralston has abused his power as a public servant to delay and deny justice for crime victims. As a legislator who has been given the trust of his constituents, he needs to remember his duty and put the needs of Georgia families before his own self-interest.”

“Needs to remember his duty” is a far cry from calling for Ralston’s resignation, a demand which -- so far as we know -- hasn’t passed the lips of any elected official in the state Capitol.

The Democratic party statement is a reminder that Ralston has been an occasional partner with Democrats in the Legislature on some particularly crucial issues. And we’ve a long way to go before this session of the General Assembly is finished.

I would not presume to lecture either Erick Erickson or the AJC on the subtleties of Georgia politics, but... oh, let me do just that. This article describes the 40 day agenda in the GA capital and notes that Speaker Ralston diverges from the newly elected Republican governor on two attention-getting issues: a Religious Freedom bill opposed by Democrats (and nixed by the last Republican governor) and the state takeover of the Atlanta airport.

...

And they’ve become a very highly charged issue. Republican Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed a RFRA in 2016, saying he was not disparaging the motives of the bill’s supporters, but he found there was a chance it could lead to state-sanctioned discrimination.

State House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, he’s not sure there’s state House support for a RFRA.

He said his concern is that it’s an issue that has the potential to divide the state.

“I would would just ask us to pause before we get into an issue that has the potential to tear the fabric of the state,” Ralston said at a pre-session press conference last week.

But new Gov. Brian Kemp and new Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan are interested. Both have said they want to pass a RFRA that mirrors the language of the federal law.

And...

Ralston said he’s not ready to embrace the idea of a state takeover of the airport.

If corruption is the concern, Ralston said, “We have law enforcement, we have prosecutors, and I say let’s turn them loose to do what they need to do. I don’t know that you change the entire system because of some bad actors.”

If - IF - that is all that is holding Democrats back, they need to man up, woman up, or hero-up. As to Republican silence, or the media silence generally, I can't explain it. Where is the fact-free rush to judgment when we need it?

BONUS BAFFLER: The media Cone of Silence has fallen over Virginia. Maybe after the political meltdown there, no media members want to go near any southern state political leader. Maybe!

My opinion (like assholes, we all have one:) is that RR is a "wet-finger-into-the-wind" kind of guy. That is why he wore his Morning Suit and cufflinks Trump gave him to his first argument before the Supremes. As a family man he doesn't take chances, at least that is the way I see it.

I would discount the Jordan & Gohmert imbrigilo, there seems to be more to that feud than the FISA application.